Christmas in July - Day Fifteen

Today's the day we've all been waiting for since the Hallmark Keepsake Dream Book appeared in our mailbox or was available to pick up at the store.  Hours of dreaming, making mental notes of what we would like, or marking up the book with our choices.  Today, those of us who shop at the Ornament Premiere event will see the ornaments up close and no doubt fill our shopping baskets.  Does your Hallmark store make a big production out of the event?  My all-time favorite Hallmark store was the one we shopped at in Florida.  The owners were delightful and they went all out for the Ornament Premiere with refreshments and just an atmosphere of...well, Christmas!  I miss them very much.

It's the end of Week Two so it's time to share my gift closet.

My gift closet is currently housed on a shelf of this four-tier shelving unit in the spare bedroom known as the Christmas room.  It's the room where all the Rubbermaid totes full of decorations are stored because I don't like keeping them in the garage.  Too dusty, too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, much better to have them indoors and since there is limited closet space in the house and we have two extra bedrooms, one has become the Christmas room.  The gift closet currently contains this year's Christmas cards (bought on sale after last Christmas), the gingerbread house we didn't make (we'll make it this year, it's not like we're going to eat it), a Yankee Candle Vic received at the office White Elephant event (and one which he will be taking as his White Elephant this year!), and the box of presents I have purchased for this Christmas.  Most of the gifts here are for Sophia and we'll be taking them to Washington with us when we go in December.  There are a few stocking stuffers as well, tucked into one of those boxes.

And finally, here is my box of goodies that came in the mail on Thursday - my share of the ornaments from the Magical Holiday Home Forums Christmas in July Ornament Swap.  This was taken before I opened them and I can't reveal them just yet because one member of our group is in the middle of a move and we don't want to reveal the contents until she is settled and can open hers.  Let me just say that our group has some amazingly talented members and I will treasure every ornament.  I hope we get lots of participants next year - I'd like to work my way to a Magical Holiday Home tree.

Coming tomorrow...Week 3 of Christmas in July.